What You Need to Know: In the 1990s, the British Royal Navy introduced the Vanguard-class submarines to upgrade the sea-based leg of its nuclear triad. These submarines are renowned for their advanced stealth features, including a teardrop hull shape and anechoic tiles that make them nearly invisible to sonar detection.

-Powered by PWR2 nuclear reactors, they can remain submerged for extended periods, enhancing their strategic deterrence capabilities.

-Each Vanguard-class sub carries 16 Trident II D5 ballistic missiles, each capable of deploying eight nuclear warheads, providing the UK with a credible and reliable nuclear deterrent at sea. Despite their excellence, the Royal Navy faces challenges like underfunding and strategic missteps, delaying the introduction of the Dreadnought-class replacements until the 2030s, thus extending the Vanguard-class service life beyond initial expectations.

Vanguard-Class Submarines: The Backbone of Britain's Nuclear Deterrent

Back in the 1990s, the British Royal Navy needed to upgrade their nation’s nuclear triad. As an aside, a nuclear triad is what most advanced countries with nukes prefer to have as a redundant strike capability. Essentially, this means that the country in question has the ability to launch nuclear weapons from land bases, from the air, and from warships at sea. Specifically, submarines. 

The Royal Navy procured the Vanguard-class submarine as their primary seaborne nuclear deterrent.

Vanguard-Class Submarines: The Specs

In many respects, the Vanguard-class represented the apotheosis of British naval engineering, stealth capabilities, and strategic deterrence. Since 1993, they have been the basis of Britain’s submersible capabilities. 

Designed with an iconic teardrop hull-shape that reduces hydrodynamic noise, these subs have anechoic tiles that absorb sonar pulses. In essence, these boats are rendered nearly invisible to sonar detection, making them a potent—and fearsome—weapon. 

These boats are approximately 150 meters long and displace approximately 16,000 tons when submerged. The Vanguard-class carries crew of around 135 sailors.

A PWR2 (Pressurized Water Reactor 2) nuclear reactor powers these submarines. They can remain submerged for extended periods. The nuclear reactor on the boat adds to the submarine’s stealthiness because it allows for the submarine to remain submerged for protracted periods. Non-nuclear subs, for example, are required to snorkel that allows for the enemy to detect them while snorkeling. 

Britain’s HMS Vanguard, the first of her namesake, was launched in 1993. She was intended to replace Britain’s long-serving (since the 1960s) Resolution-class submarines. The HMS Victorious, HMS Vigilant, and HMS Vengeance followed in short order. 

Her Primary Weapon

The Trident II D5 ballistic missile is the Vanguard-class submarine’s primary weapon. This missile can carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs). A single Vanguard-class carries 16 of these Trident II D5 ballistic missiles. Each of these missiles can carry a whopping eight nuclear warheads. 

Thus, the Vanguard-class submarines give Britain what it wanted: a reliable and credible nuclear weapons capability at sea. Britain has a strong sea-based nuclear deterrent, meaning that it has a significant nuclear triad. Even if her land and air nuclear weapons capabilities are lost in war, the seaborne capability will be harder to destroy—especially given the Vanguard-class submarine’s impressive stealth capabilities. 

The Sad State of the British Royal Navy

All this being said, sadly, the Royal Navy has seen better days. 

For years, the decline in their once-mighty capabilities has been severe. Some decline in capability is to be expected for a country like Britain, that surrendered her once-globe-spanning empire and became regional power isolated to the North Atlantic. 

Although, the decline has gone beyond what could have been expected. 

The quality of seamanship has degraded. Chronic underfunding has gutted the British military in general. What’s more, a lack of strategic vision from the country’s leaders—notably in the post-Cold War era—have further eroded the readiness of the British military. Whatever funds are made available to the Royal Navy tend to go into irresponsible vanity projects, such as the massively expensive Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers (there are two in service today). 

In fact, as I reported in these pages, the HMS Vanguard herself has been involved in embarrassing flaps that no serious navy would have tolerated. Notably, back in 2009, the Vanguard collided undersea with a French submarine while on patrol. Subsequent (covered-up) investigations showed that improper communication, malfunctioning equipment, and poor seamanship on the part of the Royal Navy crew and leadership nearly led to the loss of the British nuclear sub.

The bottom line is that, for all the technical skill that went into creating the Vanguard-class, for all the deterrence these boats give the British Royal Navy, with the entire force in general decline, none of that really matters. 

What Happens Next to Vanguard-Class? 

Still, the Vanguard-class is an excellent bit of engineering. 

Made all the more remarkable by the fact that her replacement, the Dreadnought-class SSBN, won’t be ready until at least the 2030s—meaning the Vanguard-class will be on call for much longer than what her designers originally intended.

In fact, the Vanguard class will have served far longer than even her legendary predecessor, the aforementioned Resolution class, ever did. 

Author Experience and Expertise: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, the Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is due October 22 from Encounter Books. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock.

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